Heavy Rains Cause Flooding, Record Rainfall for Philadelphia

Heavy downpours shattered rainfall records and caused major flooding -- trapping drivers and forcing some roads to be shut down into Monday. The storm's impact has also caused American Airlines to cancel all morning flights at Philadelphia International Airport.

A record all-time daily rainfall of 8.26 inches fell Sunday at Philadelphia International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. That number increased overnight from an earlier measurement of 7.99 inches.

More than 7 inches of rain fell during a 4-hour period -- helping to exceed the previous all-time record for a single day rainfall set during Tropical Storm Floyd. That total of 6.63 inches was measured on September 16, 1999. Records go back to 1872.

The heaviest rain moved through Gloucester City, Camden County, N.J. shortly after 3 p.m. Sunday. Within a span of three hours about 7 inches of rain flooded the area.

Water flooded Route 130 Northbound at Market Street forcing police to shut down the busy roadway. The route remained closed Monday morning as officials waited for waters to recede.

On Sunday, at least eight cars were submerged in high water in the eastbound lane of I-76 at Kings Highway. Two people were left stranded in a car in the middle of the street. Authorities say both people were rescued. No injuries were reported.

Lightning strikes were also a problem for the area. Fire crews put out a minor fire at a home located on the 100 block of North Brown Street after it was struck by lightning. No one was injured.

A driver was trapped on top of his roof under the Route 42 overpass. Two other cars were flooded out in the water.

There was also major flooding along Route 130 in Pennsauken. Shore traffic combined with flooding rains made for major backups along the Atlantic City Expressway. There were reports of delays for up to two hours.

The on and off ramp from I-95 to Broad Street in Philadelphia was shut down around 4:30 p.m. due to major flooding. It was reopened just before 9 p.m.

The storms also caused trouble at Philadelphia International Airport. The airport experienced a power outage at Terminal A East around 5 p.m. Sunday, according to airport spokesperson Vicki Lupica. Power was restored several hours later around 9:45 p.m.

But another outage at Terminal A East Monday morning, forced airlines in the terminal to cancel all inbound and outbound flights at the airport. American Airlines cancelled 12 flights on Monday in and out of Philly. They also cancelled 10 flights on Sunday in and out of Philly but added extra flights to and from Chicago and Miami to accommodate passengers. They are currently operating normally. Fliers are asked to call 800.446.7834 to get the latest flight information.

The airport restored full power to the terminal on Monday and returned to normal operations.

For the month, total rainfall for Philadelphia jumped by nearly two inches to 13 inches even -- another record.

Here's a list of the highest rainfall totals from the National Weather Service:

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